Eat oats, barley and legumes every day

9 ways to lower your risk of high cholesterol

Prevention is key when is comes to a healthy heart. Improve your cholesterol levels by following these tips

PreviousSlide 5 of 10Next

4. Eat oats, barley and legumes every day

These three 'superfoods' are packed with a type of soluble fibre called beta-glucan. It acts like a sponge, trapping cholesterol-rich bile acids in your intestines so they can be eliminated before they have the chance to raise your cholesterol. Whole grains such as whole wheat bread and brown rice, which are rich in insoluble fibre, just can't perform that trick. In one study of 36 overweight men, those who ate two large servings of foods rich in soluble fibre a day lowered their LDL by 17 percent. Here are three great ways to include more fibre into your diet:

▪ Enjoy grated apples over oameal at breakfast; oats contain more soluble fibre than any other grain. Having just two serves of porridge a day can lower your cholesterol by two to three per cent.

▪ Cook up barley and serve it instead of rice. In a US study from the Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, 25 people with slightly high cholesterol who ate barley daily for several weeks saw their LDL drop significantly.

▪ Try to eat a combination of soy protein, almonds, oats, barley and plant sterols at the same meal. Studies show that this can reduce LDL by 28 percent in people with high cholesterol who also have a diet low in saturated fats.